Outlaws were known to band together to attack transports along the rivers or merchants on the road. In remote areas, a group of thugs could overpower local authorities and try to take control of entire towns, such as in the case of Two Dragon Lo. The same problem had plagued the county where his father had served as magistrate.
‘This wasn’t mere banditry,’ he concluded. ‘This is intimidation.’
‘The killers were part of the smuggling ring,’ Li Feng suggested.
‘Most likely. It stands to reason that a man who dealt with outlaws would die by their hands.’
‘I also learned that he was Prefect Guan’s steward,’ she said.
Han stood and paced to the window, his mind racing. Guan He oversaw the administration of the prefecture.
‘If the prefect is involved, then the corruption reaches far beyond the bribery of a few commission officials,’ he declared. A fire rose within him. ‘The entire salt trade within the region could be compromised.’
‘Han.’
Li Feng’s even, soothing voice disrupted his fervour. She regarded him with such a serious expression that he feared what she would reveal. As if she were about to confess to the murder along with ten other crimes, but it was nothing so dire.
‘I know that it’s your life’s work to rid the world of outlaws and corruption,’ she said.
He was taken aback. ‘It’s not—’
‘But this, all of this that you’re speaking of, it isn’t my concern. This happened once before. I became involved in a conflict that had nothing to do with me. If I hadn’t been so blind, then I wouldn’t have got so deeply entangled with the wrong people. I wouldn’t have thief-catchers chasing after me.’
She looked away from him. He could see the long line of her neck and the way a strand of her hair curved along her ear to grace her throat. His own throat went dry for no reason. Well, there was a reason. He was next to Li Feng and she didn’t need to be dressed in a threadbare courtesan’s robe to entice him.
‘Maybe I should be grateful for your past transgressions,’ he drawled. ‘Otherwise I would have never been one of those thief-catchers with the privilege of chasing after you.’
Li Feng snapped back around, her gaze narrowing on him in cat-like fashion. Then she let out a short laugh. ‘What is this, thief-catcher? Your method of courtship?’
He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. They regarded one another across the bamboo mat, her face lit with a smile and him grinning. This was better than courtship. Better than seduction.
All he knew was that even when they were on opposite sides of the law, he still felt a closer connection to her than anyone else in this world. What they had between them defied the boundaries of order and convention and he had never felt anything else like it.
Li Feng let out a long sigh. Her smile faded and the fragile thread between them broke, or rather it was pulled thin once more.
‘I only want to find out what happened to my family,’ she told him. ‘The jade led me to Cai Yun and now Cai Yun has led me to his master. I will continue my search with Guan He. The rest of this, I leave to you.’
She sounded almost apologetic. He didn’t want to drag her into any cause. He had just taken for granted that their paths had become intertwined.
‘I haven’t forgotten what’s important to you,’ he assured her. ‘Tell me what you remember about your parents.’
She looked up at him from where she knelt. ‘Mother was a dancer. Father must have been one as well. We travelled with an entire group of performers. Maybe they came through here at some point. Or maybe we were from this city.’
‘What’s your family name?’
‘I don’t remember.’ A look of pain flickered across her face. ‘It’s so infuriating! I remember some things, foolish things, so clearly. And yet something as important as this? Not at all.’
She threw a twig into the brazier. The low flame leapt, as if in response to her frustration, but it settled as the wood burned away. Han watched the slow dance of the fire, trying to understand the depth of Li Feng’s loss.
His family was still alive, but in a way, they were lost to him as well. Or rather, he was lost to them. The difference was that he knew where his family was. They lived on a farm now, outside the city where his father had once served as magistrate. Even though he hadn’t seen them in years, they were in his thoughts. If they were to suddenly disappear, he would be missing a part of himself.
‘You said it was fifteen years ago that you were separated?’ he continued.
Li Feng nodded. ‘Yes, fifteen. Why do you ask?’
‘I told you that my father was a magistrate. I must have still had my milk teeth when he tried to teach me about the law.’
She frowned at him, confused.
‘This knowledge…it gives me certain advantages as a thief-catcher.’ He didn’t want to sound boastful, but he knew his upbringing gave him some insight into the inner workings of the tribunal and the magistrate’s office. Part of his success came from being able to speak to appointed officials as well as the constables and common folk. ‘You had mentioned the men who came for your mother may have been trying to arrest her for some crime. I can look into the case records in Minzhou. I can’t promise anything, but I can try.’
She stared at him, her lips pressed together and her brow creased in thought. ‘Thank you, Hao Han,’ she said finally, with a quiet sincerity that touched him.
They edged closer to the fire to enjoy the last of the warmth before it burned out. Even with the doors and windows shut tight, the small space inside the shrine grew chilled as the evening came. He had secured a slightly more hospitable place the day before and was going to suggest that they leave for more comfortable lodging, but Li Feng came and huddled against him with her head against his shoulder.
He would see about relocating tomorrow. For now, the rain outside could turn to snow and he wouldn’t have moved from that spot.
Han wrapped his cloak around both of them and his arm slipped around Li Feng, settling around her waist. She steadied a hand flat against his chest, where she could probably feel how his heart had started pumping faster from having her so close. His entire body reacted to her, tensing, warming, wanting.
He did think of bedding her. Of course he did. He also thought of how he’d been a fool not to take her at the Singing Nightingale and again at the salt village. And right now. In his mind, he was already on to their second time together, let alone the first.
He lowered himself to the mat, bringing her with him the entire way. Li Feng settled partially over him and her head found the same spot on his shoulder in the darkness. He was breathing hard by now, though they had barely moved for nearly a quarter of an hour. His hand was cradled at the small of her back and he could feel the tension gathering along her spine. Li Feng had to be thinking along the same lines as he was.
‘It would change everything,’ he said to her, to himself and to the darkness.
‘Would that be so bad?’ She was drawing a lazy line along his collarbone with her fingertips. Heaven help him if it wasn’t the most erotic caress he’d ever experienced. Just that slightest touch, nowhere near any significant part of his person, and he was already hard.
Every thud of his heart was telling him now. Now.
Now.
With the same insistence with which his thief-catcher instinct had told him to chase after her.
But despite her flirtatious tone, he sensed that it wasn’t quite what Li Feng wanted. She seemed content to curl up beside him. Her breathing deepened as she relaxed into sleep.
The stars were not aligned. What else could he say? He knew that was a poor explanation, but it made as much sense as any other reason he could give. They were in a cold shrine, on a hard floor while rain poured outside. And there were unresolved issues between them.
Not eight days ago, Li Feng had run from him. There was nothing that convinced him she wouldn’t run from him again and, though he had lain with women before, he wanted more from Li Feng than that. And he wanted to be more than a moment of heat and passion for her as well, as sweet as that moment might be.
Li Feng burrowed against him and he clasped his arms around her so she couldn’t get away. Not that she was trying to at the moment, but he held her tight to him anyway until she relaxed and settled against him. It was true that he wanted much, much more, but for now, this was enough.
Chapter Ten
T
he front entrance of the magistrate’s yamen was designed to be an imposing sight. Armoured guards flanked either side of it, with a long spear in hand and swords at their belts.
Petitioners would enter through the blood red pillars to kneel before the magistrate. The vast compound contained the
tribunal and the prison house as well as the various offices of the clerks and deputies that served beneath the county magistrate.
For Han, the towering gate held less intimidation and more of a sort of worn familiarity. When his father held office, the family residence had been located at the back of such a structure. Father would rise early each morning to go to the judicial hall and bureaus located at the front section and he would remain there until long after sundown. When his father was stripped of his title, the family had been evicted from the yamen.
The entrance courtyard was wide and the buildings set far apart to impress visitors with a sense of expansiveness and grandeur. Han found his way to the judicial hall and requested an audience with the county magistrate, citing that he was investigating a case.
‘Name?’ the senior clerk asked, with his brush poised over his ledger.
‘Zheng Hao Han,’ he stated.
‘You’re a thief-catcher?’ he asked disdainfully.
Han nodded and debated whether he should claim his father’s status as a magistrate in Nanping prefecture. Father would have certainly considered such an act unethical as well as a painful reminder of his dismissal.
‘And what is this about?’ the clerk asked.
‘A private matter of great importance.’ He certainly couldn’t air an accusation of corruption out in public.
‘Come back this afternoon.’
Bureaucrats tended to distrust all men of the sword, even the appointed constables who worked for the magistrate’s office.
Han left for the streets, deciding to gather more information on the steward’s murder while he waited. Some accounts indicated that there had been one killer responsible, others recalled two or three or as many as ten bandits involved. With so many witnesses involved and such an outrageous crime, it was impossible to get a straight story.
It had the mark of a planned assassination, Han concluded. A swift clean stroke such as this took a long time planning and the blink of an eye to execute. There was no chase through the streets. The killer or killers inexplicably disappeared.
As he walked along the lane, a woman crossing the street caught his attention. There was nothing particularly eye-catching about the way she was dressed. She wore a cotton robe that had been dyed yellow and her hair was tied back to fall over one shoulder. Her face was shielded by a parasol and he spied the smooth curve of one cheek beneath its shadow.
She leapt over a puddle of water left by the rain and Han found himself wishing Li Feng had accompanied him that morning. Not that it was practical, but she had her own ways of seeking out information that he had to admire.
The woman disappeared around the corner before Han recognised what had distracted him. What sort of woman would risk turning an ankle by jumping over muddy water in the streets? Not to mention how ill mannered it appeared.
Before he could start after her, an armed patrol shouted for all the pedestrians to clear the street. Han stepped aside and stepped back against the wall between two shops. He bowed his head with the rest of the crowd as an official litter appeared, hefted on the shoulders of four bearers. An entourage of armed guards flanked either side of the transport.
Han glanced up as the litter passed and had the misfortune of catching the eye of one of the guards.
‘Weapons are not allowed on public streets,’ the man barked. ‘By official edict.’
Han raised his hands, palms faced outward, to show he meant no trouble. By then, the entire procession had stopped before him. Some of the younger guards had their hands at their swords, ready to draw.
A hand reached out from inside the litter to pull the curtain back. Half a face appeared. ‘What’s your name, my man?’
‘Zheng Hao Han.’
‘Ah!’ The curtain swung aside to reveal a cheerful smile which was quite out of place with the grim countenance of his guards. ‘The famous thief-catcher!’
The official ordered the bearers to lower the litter so he could step out on to the street. His belly sagged over his belt as he approached Han. His eyes and mouth looked engulfed by his rounded cheeks. His chin was small in contrast and adorned with a trim beard. He had the look of a well-fed, well-kept bureaucrat in every way. His state robe was made of expensive silk, but the style showed some restraint, being free of excessive embellishment.
‘I’m known as Tan Li Kuo,’ he introduced.
Han bowed. ‘Magistrate Tan.’
He recognised the magistrate’s rank from his headdress and the deep green of his robe.
‘I’m glad that we had an opportunity to meet like this. I was going to get a drink down the street. Come sit with me.’
The guards scrambled to confiscate Han’s sword, but the magistrate waved them away. He similarly refused to get back into the litter for the short trip to the drinking house.
‘Let us show them we’re not afraid,’ he declared to the street in general.
Han assumed ‘they’ meant the bandits who had committed murder in stark daylight. He followed beside Magistrate Tan, matching the official’s shorter gait respectfully.
‘Some business there with Two Dragon Lo, eh? Good work there. Very good work.’
Tan was the sort that spoke with his hands. Even while walking, he would pause to turn and make his gestures visible.
‘It was my duty,’ Han replied.
‘You’re too humble, Zheng Hao Han.’ The magistrate directed two fingers at him. ‘And you speak very well for a man of the sword.’
As much as Han was trying to make his speech formal, the magistrate was working to speak informally. As if they were old friends. Han suspected their meeting might not have been accidental and that Magistrate Tan didn’t typically break from his duties to drink in the middle of the day.
At the tavern, they were greeted by a hostess and immediately seated in a private salon. Tan poured the wine himself, holding the long sleeve of his robe back as he filled two cups.
‘As you’ve likely heard, the bandit situation here has got out of hand,’ the magistrate said, adopting the direct approach. Courtesy dictated they at least drink and speak of other matters for a few cups before coming around to the real purpose of the discussion.
‘The murder of the prefect’s steward?’ Han ventured.
‘They’ve become bold and incorrigible!’
As the son of a magistrate, Han had always assumed all men of that position had the same graveness as his father. The same steely-eyed look. A tight and disapproving thinness about the mouth. For the most part, his assumptions hadn’t been too far off the mark. Magistrates tended to maintain a distance which allowed them to decide the fates of men. Tan was nothing like that. The magistrate appeared to be about ten or fifteen years Han’s senior. Quite young for such a position. His soft face had a youthful, innocent look. His expression was similarly wide-eyed and he was surprisingly quick to speak and act, almost to the point of impulsiveness.
‘This bad element must be removed before it corrupts our city,’ Tan continued. ‘Which is why I am so happy to see the famous Thief-catcher Han.’
He lifted his cup and drank emphatically. Han followed his example and downed his drink. As soon as he set the cup down, the magistrate refilled it. It was strange to see a high-ranking official perform such a menial task and it made Han increasingly uncomfortable.
‘I heard that another thief-catcher tried to hunt down the killers,’ Han said.
‘He was found trussed up in front of the yamen one morning, badly beaten. A strip of paper had been attached to him that read: “To all thief-catchers: Find us soon, or we will kill you all.” Shameless of them, issuing a public threat!’
‘The bandits left the thief-catcher alive?’ Han asked.
Magistrate Tan nodded. ‘To send a warning. The constables have been reluctant to go after them since.’
A dead man would have been warning enough. A very visible killing followed by the sparing of a thief-catcher? It made little sense.
‘I hear that the man who was killed was very important,’ Han said.
‘Cai Yun had been with the prefect for many years. He was Prefect Guan’s unofficial advisor in charge of his household affairs.’
If his steward was involved in salt smuggling, then the prefect was likely involved as well, which put Han in a very difficult position if he were to make a formal accusation. The ledger book was still in his possession as well as all the information he had gathered, but it wasn’t as easy as dragging a thief into custody. Such a conspiracy was hard to prove and there were consequences for bringing false accusations, especially against someone as high-ranking as Prefect Guan. A false accusation here could be punishable by death.
‘I’ve sent a petition to the local garrison that has yet to be answered,’ Tan continued with impatience. ‘And the city guards are under the control of Prefect Guan who has walled himself up in his estate—not to criticise my betters,’ he added hastily.
The district was administered judicially by the magistrate’s yamen. The magistrate in turn reported directly to the prefect who oversaw the administration of the entire prefecture.
‘The magistrate will need to organise his own force then,’ Han advised. ‘Surely enough volunteers can be gathered to keep the city safe.’
‘Very wise counsel.’ The magistrate looked pleased. ‘As Master Sun says, an army of thousands is easy to attain. But to find a man to lead them…’
The wine that was pleasantly warming him suddenly turned sour in his stomach. The overeager, slightly befuddled look disappeared from Tan’s face to be replaced with a look of shrewdness. The magistrate wasn’t seeking the services of a thief-catcher. He had lured and prodded and coaxed Han into a corner.
Han held up his hands. ‘Magistrate Tan, you flatter me, but you have the wrong man. I’m not up to this task.’
‘But your valiant capture of that notorious bandit Lo—’
Again with Lo. That one incident was turning out to be a curse.
‘My head constable is getting late in his years. Most of his men lack extensive training in weapons or fighting,’ Magistrate Tan prodded. ‘Surely an upstanding, heroic individual such as yourself wouldn’t turn his back on such a dire situation.’
‘Honourable sir, there are others who are undoubtedly more qualified.’
‘Now don’t be so humble,’ Tan insisted. He sipped his wine to allow some time to pass. ‘I doubt there is anyone more suited to this job. What was it I heard? Something about your father once holding an important office?’
His expression was mild. His gaze, however, was pinpoint sharp in contrast. Here was the shrewdness Han had expected. Tan Li Kuo wore the magistrate’s robe in a different way from his father, but he was no less formidable.
‘If the magistrate will excuse my ignorance,’ Han began. ‘I often hear rumors of gangs of bandits terrorising the countryside, but such outlaws prefer to attach themselves to a wide area and bleed it slowly, stealing from merchants when they were far from the protection of the city garrisons. In this humble thief-catcher’s opinion, bandits don’t murder prominent civilians for no apparent reason.’
‘What are you suggesting? You can come out with it, we’re friends here!’
Actually, they were far from friends. Han knew nothing about the magistrate’s loyalties or if he was trustworthy, but Tan had taken the risk of criticising the prefect earlier. It was an obvious opening and perhaps Magistrate Tan was the ally he needed.
In the end, his upbringing wouldn’t allow him to withhold information from a county magistrate. Despite the taint of corruption in Minzhou, Han still believed that a man of the law like Magistrate Tan would rise above it.
‘I have some information that might provide some insight on the situation.’
He briefly described the activities at the salt well and the adjoining village. ‘Cai Yun could have been killed by smugglers or associates he’d crossed. Or he could have been killed to be silenced,’ Han suggested.
Tan listened carefully. ‘Do you have any evidence of Cai Yun’s involvement?’
‘I can’t be certain, but I do have records detailing the salt production at the well.’
‘I’ll need to see them.’
‘Of course, sir.’
The magistrate seemed quite satisfied. ‘You’re a good man, Zheng Hao Han. An honest man. Our office can certainly use your experience hunting down these killers in the meantime.’
‘I will do what I can.’ How could he refuse? He had started something and intended to see it to its end, with the smuggling ring as well as Li Feng.
‘There is one more thing,’ he said as Tan was finishing his wine. ‘If I may be allowed to look at the local case records.’
The magistrate raised his eyebrows. ‘A thief-catcher who likes searching through records, eh? Is this another scandal I need to know about?’
‘No, sir.’ Han bowed humbly. ‘Just a personal matter.’
‘He asks for so little. The mark of a true hero.’ Tan gave a small wave of his hand. ‘Consider it done.’
The magistrate drained his cup, concluding business neatly over the space of one pot of warmed wine.